By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Six people have applied to fill the vacant seat on the Bowling Green Board of Education. They are Steven Goyer, Tara Loar, Ryan Myers, Ben Otley, Richard Strow and Peggy Thompson.
The new board member will fill the unexpired term of Bill Clifford, which is over on Dec. 31, 2021.
Each applicant was asked to submit a letter of interest, personal resume and three letters of recommendation. In addition, applicants were required to provide a brief written statement that describes why they want to be considered for this position, their related experience and qualifications, and their opinion of the most important issue facing Bowling Green City Schools.
Applicants may be asked to participate in an interview with the board. The members reserve the right to interview only those candidates deemed qualified based on their resume, related experience and written statement.
The position must be filled by Nov. 30.
Following is professional information on the applicants:
Steven Goyer is currently treasurer at First United Methodist Church, where he co-coordinates the food pantry. Prior to that he worked at Meijer in Maumee as a cashier, in loss prevention and as a photo technician. He also worked for the U.S. Postal Service in several positions including manager and budget officer.
Tara Loar is a Realtor with Re/Max and a community volunteer. She lists her experience in building relationships, cultivating partnerships and managing multiple projects locally. Other skills are presentation and communication skills, contact drafting, negotiation and market research.
Ryan Myers is the supervisor of special education at Penta Career Center. Prior to that, he served as director and principal of special education at Northwest Ohio Educational Service Center. He has a valid Ohio Superintendent License and a valid Ohio Principal License for K-12.
Ben Otley is a benefits consultant with First Insurance Group in Bowling Green. Prior to that, he was a senior account executive with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He was chairman of two levy committees for Bowling Green City Schools, and served on the BGCS financial task force.
Richard Strow has been involved with agriculture based businesses throughout his career. He is currently the agronomy department manager at the Ridgeville Elevator. Prior to that he served as agronomy department manager at Mid-Wood Inc. He served on the school district’s financial task force.
Peggy Thompson is owner and works in accounting for Guarantee Carpet Cleaning. Prior to that she worked as a computer operator for Bowling Green City Schools, and as president, treasurer and on the negotiation team for BGCS OAPSE #311.
Following are some of the reasons cited by the applicants for wanting to serve on the board of education, and their feelings about the top issues facing the school district:
Goyer believes the most challenging issue facing the district is the polarization of the community. Other issues include the safe reopening of the schools to on-site learning, overcrowding in the schools, and the decrease in state funding.
“I would start (as many have already begun) by developing a dialogue with those whom have their own ideas,” Goyer wrote. “This would allow us to seek a common good for not only our students, but the community as a whole.”
Loar, who been a school volunteer for years, believes the top issue facing the school district is the lack of community support.
“Unfortunately, in this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become incredibly evident that our relationship between school and community is not only divided, it is harmful,” Loar said.
Myers noted the top three issues facing the school district – educating students during a global pandemic, the deteriorating and outdated school buildings, and healing the divide in the district.
“I offer a perspective of one that has seen these challenges” and came up with solutions, he wrote. “In terms of helping to heal the divide in the district, I have the calm and objective personality that elicits trust and reliability for the decision-making process.”
Otley believes the short-term challenge for the district is the pandemic. He has voiced his concerns about the schools remaining closed to in-person learning. The most important long-term issue is the state of the elementary and high school facilities.
“I believe in order for our district to move forward on that issue, healing and consensus must occur,” he said. “I will do everything I can to help make that happen.”
Strow feels the district’s response to COVID-19 is the most important issue.
“From a short term perspective, we need to find a reasonable plan that focuses on the safety of our students and staff to get back to a normal education model,” he said. “But we also need to start discussing what education will look like at BGCS going forward into the future and how we prepare our district to meet those needs and challenges.”
Thompson believes the most pressing issue is providing the best education possible to all students. She said several students are struggling with online education right now.
“The safety of our students and staff ranks high on my list,” she said. “We must remember that physical safety needs to be balanced with emotional and social safety as well. There are no easy solutions, but there are solutions that need to be addressed immediately.”
